The deserts of Osirion—land of pharaohs and ancient tombs—hide not just untold wonders, but also unspeakable dangers. When the vast sand dunes part to reveal the ancient pyramid of the legendary Pharaoh of Sphinxes, glory seekers from across many nations race toward it, each fighting to be the first to claim its wonders. Your group of bold adventurers are the first to arrive. Can you claim what's risen from the sands?

Welcome to Risen From The Sands. Players are recommended to read over the Pathfinder Player Companion: Inner Sea Primer to get a good grip on what the world of Golarion has to offer. Please post character sheets below this post.

In the depths of the Osirian desert, a sandstorm has recently uncovered a mighty pyramid that was buried beneath the sand for ages. Lost for centuries, the pyramid has not yet revealed its secrets, but one crumbling papyrus scroll found in the Great Library of Tephu contains references to the tomb of an ancient Osirian king known only as the Pharaoh of Sphinxes. Word of the pyramid's discovery has spread far and fast. Archaeologists, explorers, and tomb robbers from across the Inner Sea are gathering in Osirion's taverns and inns to plan expeditions into the desert, each vying to be the first to plunder the tomb's treasures.

Your adventuring party knows each other and have agreed to travel to the pyramid of the Pharaoh of Sphinxes to explore it and recover its treasures. The pyramid lies approximately 90 miles west-southwest of the city of Eto in the inhospitable region known as the Parched Dunes, a journey of over a week on foot through trackless desert.

A few other player resources that may be helpful with character creation:

Wealth for player characters is 3000 gold pieces. A character may begin play with one outfit valued at 10 gold pieces or less at no cost. Additional outfits or articles of clothing must be purchased normally.

In addition to being free this outfit does not count as weight that you are carrying.

Hit points beyond 1st level are rolled, but retraining from Ultimate Campaign is available for players whose hit points end up low. For the purpose of retraining costs, it can be assumed the retraining for hit points was performed at the level where you wish to retrain. For example, if you rolled 7 on a d8 for your 2nd level, you could spend gold as if you were a 2nd-level character to raise your maximum hit points.

Point Buy 20

Any race is available with 19 RP or less. This link can help you determine what RP score a race has.

Two traits, neither of which can be a campaign trait.

A drawback is permitted to gain an extra non-campaign trait.

All Paizo Pathfinder RPG 1st-party content is usable. The Advanced Class Guide is available but subject to GM discretion due to recent release and book errors.

Good favored enemy options include constructs and undead.

The only favored terrain option that will be useful for this module is urban, as this is an above-ground dungeon exploration module.

There are no magical traps within this module, so do not feel pressured to necessarily play as a character with the trapfinding ability. That said, the pyramid may have several other traps of the mechanical variety!

Please be warned: certain spells one would normally employ will not have any use in this campaign. As an example, the spells Calm Animals, Charm Animal, Charm Person, Daze, Hold Animal, Hold Person, and Sleep are literally useless against any enemy creature to be encountered within this dungeon. Enchanters beware!

As a final note, this module is considered to be the most difficult of the Free RPG Day modules that were written by Paizo, to the point where the iconic characters listed from the Advanced Class Guide as previews have major trouble succeeding. Please be advised that this module is a dungeon exploration adventure and is rather difficult!

Description: Laria is short and petite, with an athletic frame and a strength that is unexpected for one her size. Her platinum blonde hair matches her porcelain-looking skin with a natural beauty; when she smiles, people say she looks like an angel. However, she looks human without any of the tell-tale signs of a celestial outsider. The celestial blood in her heritage is not very strong and her aging is much faster than other aasimar. Her blue eyes can be warm or ice cold depending on her mood, and emotions are easily seen on her face. Most of the time her shoulder length hair is hanging freely, unbound and unbraided.

She wears a sturdy blue dress and brown leather boots. While adventuring, she wears her brestplate over a gray padded tunic worn over her dress, her buckler already equipped. She has a quiver of javelins over her shoulder and morningstar hanging from her belt.

Personality: Laria is a friendly woman, but normally she keeps to herself and is used to being alone amongst people. She has a tendency to be naive, but has slowly become aware of this trait and spending more time listening instead of talking is a way she avoids being so gullible. Often she is wistful and gravitates towards contemplating the mystery of time itself to an extent she can be come distracted in her focus. Still, she is mostly kind and benevolent towards others, believing in what is right rather than caring for laws and regulations. She doesn't always agree with the society around her, preferring to make her own judgments according to her conscience instead. She dislikes being intimidated and having people dictate what she and others should do, but often is not compelled strongly enough to interfere in the affairs of others until really provoked.

Osirion is a dangerous land, as Laria Mavern had known for years as both of her parents did not live to reach old age. While she was born out of wedlock to human gypsy woman named Anastasia, a healer of Desna, that was hired as a healer for a merchant caravan. Being a single mother, Anastasia arranged for her friend Margrave, fellow gyspy woman and seer, to be godmother to her daughter. Laria's mother never revealed who her birth father was and a few years after she was born, she was adopted by the half-elven ranger Alanore when he married her mother. Her parents hired on to travel the caravan routes through the desert, owning their own wagon to live in, as they both served in their own way. Her childhood was happy enough and she was well loved.

Despite the dangers of growing up among the caravans, she had led a pretty sheltered life spending her time amongst healers and fortune tellers. By the time she was 15 years old, it was quite evident Laria was different and not entirely human like her mother. Margrave, an aasimar herself, advised that Laria's celestial heritage was probably not going to be fully realized until she would reach puberty a few years later. Under Anastasia's tutelage, Laria spent many hours studying religion and arcane manuscripts in the family's wagon that served as their home. When her divine abilities started manifesting it was thought she had the makings of a real seer or diviner.

Unfortunately, whatever plans her parents had, they were cut short when Laria was 20 years old. Laria's mother Anastasia was tragically killed when a fight broke out amongst the members of the caravan. The caravan master had been pressuring the family to arrange a marriage between Laria and his oafish son. The altercation escalated, insults were made and a brawl ensued. The oafish son had bashed in the side of Anastasia's skull with a mace. After running the killer through with his sword, her father Alanore was gravely wounded by the caravan guard leader. He succumbed to infection of his injuries a few days later without the caravan's healer to attend him. On his deathbed, Laria’s father arranged payment (trading the family’s wagon home) to see her given safe passage from the merchant caravan of her parent’s killers to then next town. Once there, she was to await at the inn for the seer Margrave to arrive with another caravan due to pass through within a few weeks.

Even though they had not known it at the time when Laria was a toddler, it was the most sensible thing they could have done since Margrave was an oracle herself. She fully understood the calling that was destined to fall upon Anastasia's daughter. In the years that followed, Laria stayed with Margrave as they continued their own travels through the deserts of Osirion. While the human seer Margrave was spending her life pursuing the mysteries of the heavens, Laria was fascinated with time, the lure of her own aging being just one of the things that she had not understood. Margrave taught her the Celestial tongue and the practices of divine spell casting during Laria's adolescent years. Whether it was by association with Margrave or not - she could not be certain – Laria had also picked up the unwanted malevolent spirits that haunted her god-mother.

Appearance:Delvin was taller than average, standing a little over 6 foot. He lacks muscle, but makes up for speed and deftness. The gunslinger has bark brown hair that is somewhat long and slicked back half-way down his neck. Delvin possesses a pair of hazel eyes that look about with a cold and calculating gaze. A scruffy chin and matching mustache to form a goatee of Delvin's chin.

For dress, Delvin prefers to wear grey or brown long sleeve tunics with a vest over top and matching pant's on the bottom. The vest is replaced with armor if the gunslinger expects trouble. Also, the gunslinger wears a set of fingerless leather gloves for style.

Personality:Delvin can be quiet at times, but when fighting or when there is a need for action, he can be rather vocal. He can come across as blunt and uncouth at times, especially when he becomes short on impatience. The gunslinger prefers action rather than diplomacy. A trait that has landed him in some trouble in the past. Delvin is also not typically a nice person, and can be brutal and cruel to get the point across.

Delvin group up in a family that was neither too rich nor too poor. Middle class if you could call it that. The gunslinger was the youngerof two boys to a merchant father and mother. They had lived in one of the cities of the Inner Sea, and worked a equipment store that specialized in adventuring gear. So it was no surprise when both Delvin and his brother had a taste for adventure.

The boys father try to dissuade the interest and fascination for adventure. He had hoped both would take over the family business. But neither would have it. Delvin's older brother left home first, shortly after a quarrel with their father over the matter. The older boy had reached his majority, and took what money he has skimped and saved, swiped some equipment from the store, and left town without a word. The act nearly devastated Delvin's parents. It also strengthen Delvin's resolve to follow in his brothers footsteps.

Seeing as their was little to do stop both his sons, Delvin's father decided he was going to make sure his other son was better prepared. Turns out the old man had been adventure in his younger years. He had an old musket that began to teach Delvin to use. Along with that, and other skills of the adventuring, Delvin spent the last few years before his majority learning from his father.

When it was time to leave, Delvin's father booked the amateur gunslinger a spot as a guard on a traveling merchant. The family musket, some supplies and coinage was also given to the young man in preparation. The parents couldn't stop Delvin from leaving, but at least they could see him better prepared. With a teary goodbye, Delvin set off with the merchant caravan with word to be careful and keep an eye out for his brother.

Over the course of the next 6 years, Delvin honed his skills as a sharpshooter and adventurer. He took many jobs as both caravan guard and mercenary, finding both to satisfactory. He met many other adventurers and like minded people. When rumors of the Pyramid of Sphinxes spread about potential treasure and such, he knew that it would be a fine adventurer. Delvin headed to the desert city of Eto to seek his fame and fortune. And perhaps find his brother in the process.

AppearanceJaha is a man of medium build, most notable because of his brick-red skin and small horns protruding above his brow. He looks to be in his middle thirties and is almost entirely bald apart from a topknot of coal-black hair, in which a mysterious fiery glow is sometimes apparent. He wears a bright red cloak over colourful clothes as well as assorted mismatched pieces of flamboyant jewellery. Somewhere among there is the glint of chainmail, indicating a more practical side to his character. He carries a lethal-looking battleaxe at his side, a crossbow over his shoulder, and is otherwise burdened with numerous sacks, pouches and flasks. He is typically to be seen travelling from place to place astride his ever-patient donkey, never settling down for long.

BackgroundJaha can trace his human ancestry back to priests of Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess of both war and healing who commanded great respect in ancient Osirion. When the country was invaded by the Keleshites, these priests fled into the desert rather than abandon their faith, and joined the nomadic tribes that remained outside Keleshite control. Perhaps more surprising is the re-emergence of efreeti features from some distant magical ancestor, including the ability to produce fire from his bare hands when necessary. His birth proved very difficult for his mother, as he proved capable of generating copious amounts of heat even then – strong healing magic was needed to save his mother’s life, and this magic has infused young Jaha since then. He is a strong spellcaster and from an early age felt a calling to the healing powers of Sekhmet, becoming ordained as a priest in his late teens. However, organized religion soon proved too restrictive for his restless spirit, even amongst his nomadic relations, and he much prefers the wandering life, traveling from oasis to oasis along the caravan routes.

His efreeti heritage expresses itself most notably in his pyromania; he is fascinated by setting things alight and watching them burn. Usually he chooses to burn rubbish to get the urge out of his system, and can spend hours patiently constructing complicated shapes that will burn in interesting ways. He has, however, been known to burn down more valuable objects or dwellings just to see what it would look like. His fire-raising abilities are, as he sees it, blessed by Sekhmet, who also presides over the Fire domain. These destructive tendencies have not endeared him to various local authorities, and he tries to be more careful when visiting urban areas.

Principally concerned about his own interests, Jaha is happy to provide healing to anyone who needs it, but encourages compensation for his efforts, rather than doing it from the goodness of his heart. He is quick to anger but also quick to patch up arguments, particularly when he feels he can ultimately benefit from doing so. He is very interested in the nicer things in life and for this reason has previously joined adventuring expeditions into the deep deserts, but his impetuousness, enthusiasm and difficulty sticking to previously agreed plans have in the past caused problems for himself and those around him.

Last edited by Sandstar on Sun Oct 12, 2014 8:30 am, edited 2 times in total.

Description: Damios is of middling height, and of a fairly sturdy, but not overly muscular build. His skin has a smooth bronzed tone from days spent in the sun. In the field he wears robes colored golden and brown. Over this he wears a light chain shirt, and carries a finely made spear that each bespeak a preparation for violence. However the first indicator that this is a dangerous man is ingrained in Damios' very being.

Damios' eyes almost invariably glint with a near manic glee. While this is inherent to many alchemists, and many tieflings it is a potent warning to be wary. His gait reveals a liquid grace, almost as if he is perpetually stalking some invisible being, forever behind. This gait is enhanced by a long deep red infernal tail that trails behind him, swinging slowly back and forth as he walks, almost with a mind of it's own.

Personality: Damios generally has two moods, by default he is eccentric and playful, but as easy as flipping a switch can reveal dangerous intentions, becoming deathly serious. Perhaps it is because the nature of alchemy, ordinarily an experiment is cause for interest and excitement, but can quickly turn dangerous. While they are not really mood swings, this attitude has served to make Damios not the best at social interaction.

Damios redeems himself with a fierce loyalty to comrades, and even moreso to any who respect the inquisitive spirit of alchemy or magic. This loyalty is not all too difficult to achieve in his eyes, and is typically gained through combat or by proving to have an intellectual side.

The land is a vicious one, and Damios might not have survived the early years of his life if he was born the bastard son of an infernal beast and of the cousin of a significant princess of An. This minor status was just enough to ensure that he was safe, even though he had demonic blood in his veins. Safe enough to grow, safe enough to learn to defend himself. But humans turn out to be more short lived than he, and soon his connections to the noble line were gone. It was no more than a few days after his mother's funeral that the family he thought he had been a part of had come for him.

But Damios was smart enough to see signs of how others saw him, and had planned a way to leave An, and take up traveling the land. His passion had always been to create, and he took this with him when he left, though his creations turned more and more practical, becoming more able to help him survive. As he traveled he met all kinds of people, and though some treated him with the expected scorn, others renewed his hope for people by treating him as they might anyone else.

Though Damios has taken to praying to Norgorber, he does so specifically for the inspiration to create, and is significantly malaligned with the deity's moral code, as such his prayers are more out of personal curiosity than actual devotion to said being.

Description: From a first glance, Ramses is difficult to pin down immediately as a male, mostly from his average height, lack of muscles, and slender frame. His light brown skin hints at his heritage as a native of Osirion, with his white robe being made to keep out the heat of the blazing sun. Two silver earrings are his only type of jewelry, with other garments including sandals and a belt holding a dagger and two pouches. His platinum hair, which falls in glistening strands past his shoulders, stands out vividly. Adding to his looks is his dark blue eyes, which are lined with thin black tattoos.

The most unnatural part of his appearance is his shadow. It looks like one that would be his in terms of rough shape. However, it is much larger and longer than his body should provide. The form looks much more muscular, with its hair also seeming wilder. Occasionally it seems to move, with what looks eerily like glowing eyes and a sharp flash of a wicked grin showing before fading just as quickly.

When actually summoning Ammon and fusing with him, Ramses' shadow vanishes completely. It instead seems to become a part of him, with a dark aura flickering around the edges of his body. His body alters to have a taller and more powerful appearance, as his muscles become more prominent and his hair takes on a spiked look. His eyes take on a sly glint, with his teeth and nails looking sharper. Occasionally, a faint visage of Ramses can be seen within Ammon, as if his spirit is visible for a brief moment before being reabsorbed by his monstrous companion.

Personality: When speaking with others, Ramses tends to take on a pleasant demeanor. He keeps a smile and has a friendly attitude. Rarely does he talk much about himself, instead prompting others to tell them more about themselves. If questioned on his thoughts, he usually deflects it to something that someone else has suggested. It is also common for him to ask others of what they would prefer him to do in terms of strategies, rather than offering his own.

Despite these aspects, he is a clever individual who is constantly making plans in the back of his mind. Usually he will navigate conversations to have the end results he wanted in the first place without letting on to that fact. He is uneasy about placing his trust in other people, especially with his hatred toward traitors. Anyone who tries to double-cross him is met with a wrathful reaction, and he never forgets sleights made against him.

Those who prove to be loyal comrades find that Ramses is just as loyal to them. He finds such devotion to be rare and treasures it when he finds it. His servitude to Ra is a reflection of this. He never would lie about the deity he serves and how high he holds him, though he does not announce the fact unless asked about it.

In contrast, Ammon is a violent creature that shows no signs of amiability. He has a streak of viciousness that is often shown by his more bloodthirsty outlook. Though this might be a problem on his own, he has been linked thoroughly to Ramses. The influence of Ramses has tempered him into seeing allies in a positive light. As such, he only attacks enemies of Ramses, rather than wildly lashing out as he once might have.

On the other hand, when fused with Ramses, Ammon has a prominent effect on him as well. The mild manner that Ramses often has is lost when with Ammon. He speaks more harshly and sharply, and he gets irritated when others dismiss him. His hidden desire to be seen as a strong and respected ruler come out in a twisted form, as he wants others to view him as the king that he believes he is destined to be.

Backstory: The Teremun family has lived in Osirion for as long as their records date back to. There is an ancient prophecy that they possess from millenniums ago, when the old gods were still worshiped commonly. It is said that a celestial being from Ra blessed the first Ramses Teremun, for his leadership to his people pleased the deity so much that he felt it worthy of reward. The celestial gave Ramses Teremun I divine blood, and it was declared that any descendants to share that blood would become as great of rulers as he was and earn a place alongside Ra in the afterlife.

Only one time in their history has another one with divine blood appeared. That was Ramses Teremun II, named after his ancestor for having that celestial presence. Thus, when another child was finally born with that blood, Ramses Teremun III was the name he was immediately given. His parents declared that when he was of proper age, he would receive a proper gift from Ra and take over the position of his uncle, who held a position in the Council of Sun and Sky. It was a more modern version of kingship than his ancestors had, but it was still what they considered a high honor.

Ramses' uncle knew of the prophecy, and he was bound by it to step down when Ramses came of age. But he loved his position, and to have to give it up solely because someone was lucky enough to be born with different blood made him furious. He waited as long as he could, hoping something might befall the child. But Ramses' fifteenth birthday came closer, with his teachings of Ra being more ingrained upon him each day. Finally, his uncle could not afford to wait any longer, and hired several mercenaries to go to the village of their family's people and kill all of them. He planned to cover it as a bandit attack, and ensure that nobody else could be born that would threaten his place of power.

The attack occurred on the date of Ramses officially coming of age. The tattoos of Ra's symbols were successfully placed on his back, but before the summoning of his servant could begin, the mercenaries struck. Several people were killed, while others fled. Ramses was cornered in the shrine, unable to leave without becoming a victim himself. The elder and his parents were slain, leaving nobody to guide him through the ritual. But he knew the steps, and thought that if he could summon a spirit that served Ra, it might save him and the people who remained.

Yet he also held hatred in his heart for the attackers, and for his uncle, whose name was mentioned by one of them. That hatred called forth a creature not from Ra's side, but from the Plane of Shadows. Ramses summoned a being that he would later name Ammon. That creature promised to help Ramses, but only if it could use his body. Though he was shaken by the dark appearance of what he thought was a servant of the Sun God, Ramses agreed.

A massacre followed. Ammon took over Ramses' body and tore through the mercenaries. The people of his village, upon seeing the monstrous being Ramses had become, were quick to run. When Ramses returned to his senses, he found that with Ammon guiding his attacks, he had killed all the attackers, but been left with none who used to look up to him. He had survived, with the price being those who believed in his heritage.

The next three years were spent with Ramses traveling. He worked to gain control of Ammon, but in the end, it became an alliance more than anything. The two affected each other with their fusions, leading their thoughts to be changed in many ways. Their goals are essentially the same, for Ammon can only survive in this world through Ramses' body. They desire to gather enough wealth to bring Ramses' people back together, and to gather the evidence needed to condemn his uncle for what he has done. If that is not enough, then more drastic measures might be taken. Until then, Ramses seeks out the coins needed to accomplish what he most desires.